CA Bell proposes to name it as “Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital”

Charles Alfred Bell (Pic : Wikipedia)

The Archives Section under Culture and Heritage Department at Gangtok stores rarest of documents related to Sikkim and I shall always remain grateful for an opportunity granted to me to flip over pages of that epoch which is more of a dream come true. Over the last few years I have spend most of my time learning and understanding Sikkim and it gives me pleasure to share what I learn or what I listen to.

I am more of a story teller, those stories that got lost along the helm of time. This time around let me take you back to the year 1917 and the date reads 10^th of March. An official letter arrives to His Highness Maharaja Tashi Namgyal of Sikkim at his Palace. The letter inquires about the naming of the new Civil Hospital at Gangtok that was ready for public use very shortly.

CA Bell, Superintendent of Sikkim State, the writer of the letter writes that it occurred to him and a Civil Surgeon whether the hospital could be named in memory of His Highness’s late father Sir Thutob Namgyal. Bell further writes about his ignorance about Sikkim customs whether a building can be named in the name of a Maharaja that would be frequently mentioned by the public spoken all the time by every class.  

Replying to the letter two days back, His Highness Maharaja Tashi Namgyal of Sikkim agrees to the proposal and the new Civil Hospital at Gangtok was adapted as Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital.

It was really a nice gesture of CA Bell to have a thought of naming the hospital in Maharaja Thutob Namgyal’s name. I believe we should ever remain thankful towards him for the suggestion.